Philadelphia Eagles Are Missing Jeremy Maclin in a Big Way

Sam Bradford will be the first person to tell you he’s ultimately responsible for the Philadelphia Eagles’ struggles on offense this season. He is, after all, the quarterback.

But it’s time to admit Bradford hasn’t had a whole lot of help out there, specifically from the wide receiver position. Even when one of them manages to get open downfield—a rarity in itself—very often the pass winds up being dropped anyway.

The fact of the matter is the Eagles failed to replace Jeremy Maclin during the offseason, and the organization is paying the price in 2015.

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Ironic, because cost is what led to Maclin’s departure from Philadelphia via free agency. Andrew Brandt for ESPN reported in March the Eagles offered as much as $10 million per year but weren’t willing to match the Kansas City Chiefs’ offer of $11 million.

At the time, an argument could be made either way regarding the wisdom behind that decision. Obviously, Maclin was coming off of a Pro Bowl season in which the 2009 first-round draft pick racked up 85 receptions, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. There isn’t a receiver in NFL history who posted single-season numbers like those by accident.

On the other hand, that was a career year, one that was difficult to put into context given so many Eagles have enjoyed career years in Chip Kelly’s offense since he became head coach in 2013. It’s not like Maclin is what anybody would call a “matchup nightmare” in terms of size or speed. That, and the franchise was already heavily invested in other wideouts.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Maclin	39	531	13.6	1
PHI	91	1,034	12.2	5

Of course, the Eagles were counting on those other wideouts to step up, which frankly hasn’t happened. Essentially, they left a proven player walk in favor of potential and saving a few bucks.

2014 second- and third-round selections Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff were supposed to be two of the other guys. There were high hopes for Matthews in particular this season after an impressive rookie campaign—67 receptions, 872 yards and eight touchdowns.

Matthews has been a dud this season. He’s averaging a paltry 10.2 yards per catch and hasn’t eclipsed 60 yards receiving or scored a touchdown since Week 2. And Sunday night’s 27-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers was Matthews’ worst game yet, hauling in just three passes for a whopping 14 yards.

Huff has been a disappointment going back to last year, but the thinking was maybe with more opportunities, he would emerge as a viable role player at least. To his credit, Huff produced four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown in a Week 5 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The other six games: nine catches, 63 yards, no scores.

And then there are the drops. Matthews has been the worst offender throughout the season, putting balls on the carpet on a weekly basis. Huff dropped a potential touchdown in the end zone during the loss to the Panthers as well.

Drops aren’t an official NFL statistic, so measuring them against the rest of the league is a bit of a chore. Even just watching casually on Sunday, the Eagles had no fewer than seven in one game alone, just going to show what an epidemic this has become.

By the way, Bradford completed 26 of 45 passes in the contest for 205 yards. Imagine what that line could have been.

PLAYERS	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
J. Matthews	41	412	10.1	1
M. Austin	15	227	15.1	1
J. Huff	15	146	9.7	1
R. Cooper	11	205	18.6	2
N. Agholor	8	105	13.1	0

At this point, it’s probably worth noting Maclin dropped only a single pass for the Eagles while playing all 16 games in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s also worth noting how Maclin really opened things up for the offense, something that’s been visibly absent most weeks in 2015. He was tied for third in the NFL with seven receptions of 40 yards or more last season. The Eagles only have four as a team through seven games.

Maybe that’s one reason why Matthews hasn’t been nearly as effective. With Maclin out of the picture, the thinking was the second-year receiver would see more time on the outside. Instead, he’s still working primarily out of the slot, constantly running short and intermediate routes rather than pushing the secondary deep.

Of course, the Eagles also used the 20th overall pick this year on Nelson Agholor, who missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Yet even before his absence, the USC product wasn’t lighting the world on fire, either. Agholor has just eight catches for 105 yards to date.

This was somebody who, largely based on comparable combine numbers, was believed to be a player who could step in and help replace Maclin right away. Thus far, that’s proven to be completely incorrect.

Veterans Riley Cooper and Miles Austin are no solution, either. Cooper is being paid way too much to be a fringe starter—money that could’ve been steered Maclin’s way by the way—and while there’s no real harm in having Austin around, the 10th-year veteran certainly isn’t a viable replacement.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Maclin was inactive for the Chiefs on Sunday, and therefore shut out on the stat sheet. However, even despite the absence, his receiving numbers are still better than any player in the Eagles offense—39 catches, 531 yards and one touchdown. Thus far, just one dropped pass as well, per Pro Football Focus.

Numbers don’t necessarily do the situation justice, either. The Eagles don’t have anybody who threatens to take the top off a defense right now. They don’t have anybody the quarterback can trust to convert on third down or in the red zone, whether the pass is slightly off or right on the money.

There’s that word again. Money. Ultimately, the Eagles—Kelly specifically—chose not to match the Chiefs’ offer. Instead, they decided to rely on this group of developing unknowns and declining veterans, which needless to say is not paying off.

The Eagles may or may not have the right quarterback to lead their team. Unfortunately, we’re never going to know if the people around him don’t start holding on to the football and give him a chance to succeed.